Bottle-cap.



Patentd. Mar. 12, 1918.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTO R N EY Sill GOTTHELF M. SEIDEL, 0F EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOTTLE-CAP.

resents,

Specification of Letters latent,

Patented Mar, 112, title,

Application filed May 7, 1917. Serial No. 166,358.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, Gor'rnnnr M. Semen,

a citizenof the United States, residing: at

Easthampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Bottle-Cap, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to stoppers or caps for milk and other bottles, aucl has for its object to provide an article for the purpose stated which will hesimple in construction, inexpensive to make, and sanitary in use,

Milk and other bottle caps must neces sarily fit very tightly into the bottles in order to insure a perfect seal. as well as secure them against accidental dislodgment. Be cause of this fact, it is diiiicult to remove such caps from bottles unless a tool is used for the purpose, or the caps are provided with individual means for removing the same. The employment of tools which puncture the caps is obj ectionable on sanitary grounds. Numerous methods have loeen tried to provide a can with pulling means. Among others, small bits of metal, cloth or paper have heen attached to the caps to form tabs for pulling; the same, but the cost of the materialqand the labor of attaching such tabs to caps in a reasonable, substantial and sanitary manner have been found to be far in excess of what an article of this nature would warrant, and such. methods have been found to he too costly for general use.

Attempts have heen made to overcome this objection by forming the cap with an outwardly extending" lip to serve as a means to pull the cap from the hottlc, Such lips have been {found impracticable for general use, because they were entirely insuliicient in strength to withstand the strain to which they must he subjected, often breaking under the strain, learingr the cap worse otf than it no means heen provided in the first instance,

To produce a cap that emhodics the rec ui site features, vie: convenience, the absence of tools, and the cost no greater than the ordinary caps in general use, cut the cap in a manner to form a key, or tab, or lip, the incisions extending from the outer periphcry of the cap toward and near to the-center thereof, and having a depth less than the thickness of the cap. By this construe tion, that portion of the key or tab which hears the pulling strain in lifting the cap from the bottle is of a diameter and size to withstand the strain without breaking.

In the drawing Figure l is a top plar'i view of the bottle cap. 1

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the neck portion of a milk bottle showing in elevation the cap applied thereto and the tab torn up from the cap in position {or removing the latter.

Fig. l is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, showing the cap in the same position as in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation looking at the edge of the cap from which the tab is formed, showing the tab torn up from the cap,

Fig. 7 a sectional view of a bottle simi= lar to F1 3,-show1ng a cap in its closed position.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures oi the drawing,

Referring to the drawing, 8 designates the body of the cap, which is made oi cardhoard, pulp board, or other suitable material, preferably of laminated "formation, that is to say, formed of superimposed layers, though any material which will split or peel will answer the purpose. Projecting from the periphery of the cap and integral therewith is an ear 9 which is transversely scored on its under face at 10, so as to facilitate the ending up oi the tab or lie when the cap is applied to a hottle, (Fig. '1 The scoring is coincident with and follows the curved outer edge of the cap, as shown. in Fig. 1, so that the curve of the can is not interrupted at the line when the tale is heat up.

: Diverging inwardly oilthe ear are incisions or slits 11, which terminute well into the body of the cap near to the center, so that their terminals spaced quite a distance apart. hese incisions or slits penetrate the greater part of the thickness of the cap, hut do not pass entirely through the bottom layer, as shown in ig. 2, so as to leave the lower face 12 of the cap intact and unloroken when the tab or lip i3 is torn up from the same, thereby preventing any foreign matter from entering the hottle when the cap is ire-applied The exact shape 'g w s i a item tie siuc ecges till of the tab or lip 13 defined by the slits or incisions is not important. The shape shown has been found to be the"most satisfactory from practical experience, the important consideration being that the tab or lip is of a materially greater width at the end where it connects with the cap than at its outer or free end.

The normal position of the ear when the cap is applied is shown in Fig. 7, the ear bending upwardly when the cap is pressed down and extending at right angles in a position to be readily grasped by the fingers in removing the cap.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawing, it will be seen that upon taking hold of the ear and giving i t a gentle upward pull, it will break entirely loose from the periphery of the cap, (Figs. 3, 4 and 6, this being due to the score line 10), said ear carrying with it the material between the incisions 11, which peels away from the bottom layer, to a. point where said incisions terminate, the bottom layer remaining unbroken, thereby forming a pull or tab having a base much wider, and

therefore much stronger, than the ear itself. By pulling on this newly-formed tab it will be understood that, no matter how snugly the cap may'fit the bottle, it will be removed Without the tab becoming torn from the cap. The ease with which the cap may be dislodged or re-applied is augmented by the greater flexibility of the part from which the tab has been formed. The security of the seal is no wise afi'ected, while the manufacturing and material costs are not increased by .reason' of the improvement in which the tab is a homogeneous part of the cap.

The cap may be made of any suitable material or size, and changes in the shape of the ear and tab may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim is 2- 1. A bottle cap having an integral ear means projecting from its periphery and having the same thickness as the cap, and a tab defined by a pair of incisions starting from the periphery of the cap at the base of said ear and diverging inwardly toward the center of the cap, said incisions after leaving the periphery of the cap being spaced inwardly from said periphery, said tab having a greater width than said ear but of less Width than the cap, and the thickness of the tab being less than the thickness of the cap, whereby a means for removing the cap is provided, which means is an integral part of the cap.

2. A bottle cap, having pulling means forming a homogeneous part thereof and consisting of arr ear projecting from the periphery of the cap and equal in thickness thereto, said ear being transversely scored on the under side in line with the periphery of the cap, and a tab defined by a pair of incisions, which incisions are of less depth than the thickness of the cap and lead inwardly from the periphery of the latter, joining with the sides of the ear and diverging inwardly toward the center of the cap, said incisions after leaving the periphery of the cap being spaced from said periphery, thereby providing a tab with a wide base, the width of the base of the tab being materially greater than the width of the ear, but less than the width of the cap, whereby upon bending the ear upwardly and pulling thereon it may be torn loose from the edge of the cap, carrying with the ear the portion of the cap between the incisions, which portion peels away from the remaining portion thereof and constituting a pulling tab of suflicient strength to withstand'breakage.

In testimony that I-"claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GOTTHELF M. SEIDEL. Witnesses:

M. FREIDAY, Rosanna J. SULLIVAN. 

